Big Basin Waterfall Run - Redwood Trails - Eric C. Gould Race Director

Waterfalls of Big Basin
16 Mile, 10.5 Mile & 5.5 Mile


		Sempervirens Falls, the smallest of the event’s waterfalls.

The 10.5-mile loop climbs gently for the first mile, then drops 1,000' over three miles as it follows Waddell Creek, which splashes merrily beside the trail.

Arriving at the first of the waterfalls, you’ll meet the most impressive challenged of the run, a 100-plus-step stone staircase hand-chiseled into the rock face of the falls. As you ascend, the cascading torrent will plunge within inches of your body.

Leaving the last of the falls, you’ll drop briefly out of the redwoods into a recovering burn area, a welcome habitat for young tanoak, manzanita, and pine, offering wider views of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

	Location: Boulder Creek, CA Big Basin State Park

	Date: Saturday Oct 14, 06 Start 9:00 AM

	Entry Fees: $39.95 16 Miles $34.95 10.5 Miles $29.95 5.5 Miles (Includes finisher t-shirts and awards to first three in 5-year age groups for each distance.)

	Note: Register online via Active.com. Entry fees are non-refundablele and non-transferable. Course maps Profiles Directions

You’ll pass through old-growth redwood forest with multiple stream crossings and ancient redwoods, some of which are 300' tall and 50' in circumference. This is Big Basin, so the footing for these events are pristine single-track trails. The magnificent falls on the course are among the loveliest we’ve seen outside of Yosemite.

“The prettiest site in the Bay Area just might be Berry Creek Falls, a 70' waterfall framed by a canyon and complete with ferns, redwoods, and the sound of rushing water. Yet many believe that just upstream the views of Sliver Falls, a beautiful free fall enclosed by a bowl of redwoods, or Golden Falls, a gorgeous cascade over gold sandstone, are even more beautiful.”

“These waterfalls, along with the redwood forest, make this the No. 1 [course] in the Bay Area. It is worth repeating many times.” Stienstra & Brown, California Hiking.


		A few of the sights along the Waterfalls of Big Basin run.

The 5.5-mile loop isn’t only shorter, it’s also faster: the course elevation varies just 300 feet, freeing you to sail over gently rolling trails. Emerging suddenly from a forest grove, just past Sempervirens Falls, you’ll be startled by Slippery Rock, a huge, exposed slab of Miocene sandstone that flows glacier-like down the hill. Roughly 200 yards long by 100 yards wide and tilted at a 30-degree angle, Slippery Rock earns its name from underground spring water that seeps to the surface and trickles down the rock’s smooth face.

In the 16-mile event, runners traverse both loops, beginning with the 5.5-mile. Marathon does one 5.5-mile loop, then two loops of the 10.5 section.

Early registration is highly recommended for this run, since it’s popular, and entries are limited to 200. Plus, there is no race day registration.